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Justice News

District Man Indicted on Charges in 2006 Sexual Assault of Woman in Woodley Park

Defendant Accused of Attacking Victim During Home Invasion Burglary

WASHINGTON – Harold Luckett, 50, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on felony charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman during a home invasion burglary in the Woodley Park area of Northwest Washington in November 2006, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Luckett was indicted on Jan. 17, 2017, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, one count of first-degree burglary, and related charges. He pled not guilty at his arraignment today and remains held pending a detention hearing on Feb. 2, 2018. If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum sentence of life without possibility of release.

According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 10, 2006, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Luckett entered an apartment in the 3000 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, where the victim was home alone. According to the evidence, Luckett was a stranger to the victim and did not have permission to enter the apartment. He allegedly attacked her in the bathroom and sexually assaulted her by force. The victim fought back during the assault, and her attacker ultimately fled the scene. The victim immediately ran out of her apartment into the hallway to get help.

The victim made an immediate report to the police, who responded promptly. Evidence was collected during the investigation that was later sent for forensic testing. That testing revealed an unknown male DNA profile developed from the evidence. That unknown male DNA profile was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a web of state and national databases containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scenes that is used as an investigative tool. According to the government’s evidence, the profile from the assailant matched the DNA profile of Luckett.

Luckett was arrested on Jan. 18, 2018.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit and Second Police District. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Executive Assistant Shelia Miller.

Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.